Fluoride foes fill petition quota

Fluoride opponents claim they have enough signatures to bring the controversial issue to a public vote.

Jeffery Smith

Fluoride opponents claim they have enough signatures to bring the controversial issue to a public vote.

Kirk Huttleston, a Chestnut Street resident who opposes adding fluoride to the city's drinking water, said he will submit a petition with more than 350 registered voters' signatures to city officials today.

However, the petition doesn't guarantee the proposal will be listed on the Nov. 6 ballot.

“That's the goal,” Huttle-ston said. “I'm not sure how realistic it is. But that is still the goal.”

City Attorney Pam Gee told city officials in July that a petition signed by 10 percent of the city's registered voters who cast a ballot in the last gubernatorial election could result in a public referendum on the issue.

According to the Steuben County Board of Elections, about 3,060 registered voters cast a ballot in the 2006 election, meaning the petition must be signed by 306 registered voters.

“We need 306 signatures, but we hope to keep collecting to make sure the petition stands up to any challenge,” Huttleston said.

City Manager Mark Ryckman said the issue faces a very tight timeline to be put on the November ballot.

Huttleston will present the petition to the City Council, which must accept it before the document can head to the Steuben County Board of Elections. To be on the Nov. 6 ballot, the the Board of Elections must receive the question by Oct. 1.

“I am going to ask the council to schedule a public hearing as soon as possible to accept the petition,” Huttleston said. “I know it would take a super-human effort for the council to get it on the agenda, but hopefully they will try.”

Huttleston said the council could refuse to accept the document. If that occurred, a second petition requiring the signatures of 5 percent of registered voters would need to be collected to force the question to the ballot.

“I can't imagine that happening,” Huttleston said.

The City Council voted, 7-2, in May to fluoridate the city's water after supporters came up with $100,000, roughly half the start-up costs for the program.

Ryckman said the remaining cost of the project would be paid by the city.

The first-term mayor has always backed putting the issue to a public vote.

The man Coccho will face in the Nov. 6, general election Republican Tom Reed also supports public referendum on fluoridation.

“Fluoridation is a significant issue for many residents,” Reed said. “I believe the people need to have a say in whether their water supply should be fluoridated or not. The referendum is a viable, legal option to measure interest. It is a great way for the council to hear definitively what people want.”

Huttleston said residents interested in signing the petition can do so at Brown's Cigar Store, or contact him at 936-3752.